A pivotal figure in the Lewis & Clark Expedition of 1804 was an enslaved Black American named York. Listed among the participants as the enslaved person of William Clark, York was reported in the expedition's logs to have been a highly effective scout and hunter as well as having been crucial as a person of color in establishing peaceful relations with the native people they met along the journey. The expedition through the territory commonly known as the Louisiana Purchase made its way westward and crossed the Continental Divide. It is believed that York is the first person of African descent to travel across the continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean. Upon their return to Virginia after the expedition York was kept in bondage for another five years until he was reluctantly given his freedom. Clark claimed in a letter to his brother that York was spoiled by the liberties he experienced as an explorer and said, "I do not expect he will be of much service to me again."
https://www.nps.gov/articles/york.htm
The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series celebrates the untold stories of Black American history.
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York